Looking Forward to Another Season’s Football

By Kevin Cain

It is that time of year again when we are on the precipice of an avalanche of Premier League football. It seems like the final whistle of the 2016/17 has just sounded, but here we are again waiting for the referee to blow and get things under way.

Last season, the Champions Chelsea never seemed in danger of not winning the league, Antonio Conte’s men won at a canter and although the seven point margin over second place Tottenham Hotspur did not seem that excessive, the men from the Kings Road were convincing winners. Whereas Sunderland ended rock bottom and were relegated, a dismal season yet again from the Black Cats, and David Moyes’s team swapped places with their neighbours Newcastle United, who were promoted from the Championship as champions.Middlesborough and Hull both followed Sunderland’s demise but new boys Brighton and Huddersfield will compete with the elite of English football this season.

Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United will all compete in the Champions League in 2017/18 and it is hoped that the English clubs will make a better fist of it this time around. It was not the EPL’s best display in the top European league during 2016/2017.

Manchester United fared much better in the Europa League by beating Ajax in the 2016/17 final, which qualified them for the Champions League with the other four.

Arsenal and Everton will be the two English Clubs competing in the Europa League in 2017/18, and both will hope to emulate the Red Devils performance.

The Europa League has often been touted as the albatross around the Premiership clubs necks who are competing, in terms of the amount of extra games needed to be played in the Europa League directly affecting their Premier League form. Both Arsenal and Everton will definitely need to strengthen their squads if they are serious about challenging for the Champions League positions. In fact the Europa League has long been criticised for its format and the fact that halfway through the competition another bunch of teams kicked out of the Champions League joins in, which does nothing to endear the competition to its dissenters.

Jose Mourinho brought silverware once again to Manchester United with the FA Cup, whilst Arsene Wenger may have saved his job when Arsenal beat Chelsea in the League Cup final.

So after this brief summary the first question to answer is how will the new boys perform in the Premiership ? It must be said that Newcastle United are old hands at playing in the Premiership, and with a respected manager such as Raffa Benitez at the helm they should definitely fare pretty well.

Brighton had a good season last year and it was unlucky that they did not end up as champions, their football ethos is similar to one of their neighbours Bournemouth, and if they can emulate the Cherries and stick to their attacking football, then they might stave off relegation. As for Huddersfield, they have a mountain to climb, and if they survive their first ever season in the Premier League it will be a big surprise.

The next question is can anybody break into the top six positions of the Premiership. Tottenham Hotspur have proved that indeed that there is a top six elite clubs and have cemented their position after an excellent season. Mauricio Pochettino has moulded a young talented team, and with Golden Boot winner Harry Kane signing a new contract they should be a powerful force once more. But playing at Wembley might hinder their success and scupper any real title hopes.

Everton comfortably finished seventh last time out, but their inclusion in the Europa League may test Ronald Koeman’s squad to the limit. However, they have been very busy in the transfer market and have made some marquee signings in the close season, in particular the return of their talisman Wayne Rooney. Whether they can break into the top six remains to be seen, especially with their tricky fixtures at the start.

There seems to be no other team capable of breaking into the super six at the moment unless somebody comes along right out of the blue. As for who qualifies for the Champions League this is a bigger poser. Perhaps Arsenal or Everton may emulate Manchester United gaining access through the back door, but for the immediate league qualifying positions, Chelsea, Manchester City and Spurs look favourites with Manchester United and Liverpool fighting for the last spot.

Chelsea and City have strengthened with serious intention, and Tottenham’s squad is as good as last year. Manchester United also seem more balanced under the direction of The Chosen One, and with the addition of Romelu Lukaku anything is possible. Although Liverpool have added to their squad any injuries could really scupper their chances, as the squad is still lightweight on quality.

Now is the time for the proverbial chopping block to come out, and for the author to bow down and make his predictions. In reverse order, firstly the teams to get relegated will be Huddersfield, Burnley and Brighton.

The top four teams will be Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester City with the eventual winners being Manchester United. The F.A Cup will be won by Everton, and the League Cup winners will be Chelsea.

The Premier League is going from strength to strength and the old days of one or two teams dominating it seem to be over. The super six is refreshing for English football, it makes the competition even harder and more games have significance. And with Everton about to join all the fun the super six will shortly become the magnificent seven.

“the super six will shortly become the magnificent seven.”

The big conundrum is why the English teams are finding it so hard to perform well in the Champions League, the last team to lift the trophy was Chelsea back in 2011/2012 and things have not really been good since then. With the quality of the English game and the number of world class players playing in the Premiership, surely things must change soon. And it would not come to the Trader as a big surprise if it was this season.

Tourism plays an important role in the Asia Pacific region. For many countries it is the leading revenue generator as Asia is a popular destination for holidaymakers across the globe thanks to its climate, diverse offerings and it’s relatively low cost.

One of the great attractions of Vientiane is that there are no great attractions. The Lao capital serenely lacks the “must-see-must-do” icons that cities these days feel increasingly obliged to boast about.

The Hana Highway, Hawaii’s most beautiful drive, is making a fool of me. This tenacious, twisting road clings to the northeast coast of the island of Maui for 100 dramatic kilometres and on its way crosses 59 bridges and winds through 620 bends.It starts from the sugar-and-surf town of Pa’ia on the north shore, heading towards Hana village out on the eastern tip of Maui.

It has been quite some time since Pattaya Trader visited our good friends at Alibaba and when they invited us to go along to their iconic Indian restaurant on Central Pattaya Road it was an offer we could not refuse.

Sunny’s is the new jewel in the entertainment crown over on the Darkside. The establishment has three dining experiences within the family entertainment oasis: an Isaan restaurant, a fine dining restaurant to open next month and the bar menu.For our visit Chef Gerry and his team selected some dishes from the new bar menu.

Tues 25th October was the grand opening of the new Hawker Chan restaurant, their second in Thailand. Located on the Ground Floor at Royal Garden Pattaya, Hawker Chan bring their own brand of “Singaporean Street-Food” right to the heart of Pattaya.

Australia is now a recognised producer of some of the world’s best wines, it has won many awards for its quality produce and considering the relatively short life of the Australian wine industry this is quite some achievement.Literally hundreds of grape varieties are now being grown in various locations, and many new ones being added each year.

Our fishing section has brought you stories of catching fish and methods on how to cool your beer while waiting on the big one to bite….But what about ghostly fishing stories for Xmas? Tales of the sea, pond or riverbank that will have your fishing tackle trembling in your hands…

Golfers awoke Tuesday morning to light drizzle and grey skies, with the possibility of a wet day of golf. Early tee-off groups of the 106 players including 12 Ladies, may have had to deal with some light rain for a few holes, but from 8:00am on perfect conditions were the order of the day.

I would rather write about sitting and relaxing by a lake fishing into a beautiful evening with fish rising all around and a bite on my rod every 5 minutes (and a cold can of beer) but it’s Thai Culture we need to look at this edition.

Things are certainly heating up in the race for 2018 World Cup qualification, which this time around will be held on Russian soil.Despite the furore surrounding placement of this and the 2022 World Cup Finals, qualification for the most prestigious of national tournaments is on the final furlong.

In May 2007, a high-altitude football controversy arose when FIFA introduced a temporary ban on international matches at more than 2,500 metres above sea level, citing concerns about players' health and the "unfair" advantage to acclimatised home teams.

Another day dawned as golfers descended en masse on the Phoenix Gold course with a field of 93 players including 7 Ladies. Everyone had an eye on the weather conditions and with good reason too, as a few storms had been experienced over the previous few days.

On the 12th August 2017, Thailand will celebrate Mother’s Day which is of course the day that the whole nation celebrates the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, who is widely regarded as the Mother of all Thai people, and hence the name of this auspicious occasion is Mother’s Day.

It was a great honour when on Thursday May 25th as President of Rotary Club Eastern Seaboard I had the special honour to pin Ms. Kamala Skol, president of the Sukosol Hotels and Sukosol Group as our “youngest” Paul Harris Fedllow.

From the moment you enter the auditorium as you are shown to your seats by friendly smiling uniformed ushers it is impossible not to be swept along with the general air of enthusiasm. The music is rousing, the stage massive and the custom built tracking which provides the technical support for the overhead spectacles, impressive.

I have always liked the Pratumnak Hill area and even though there were ominous grey clouds overhead when I last visited there recently it was even more of a treat to go as I was on my way to meet a young lady I had never met before.

Almost twenty years ago the Thai government declared that the 13th of March should be Chang Thai Day or National Elephant Day. This annual day of celebration was created in order to promote awareness in the conservation of Elephants and to reinforce the act of 1963 by the Royal Forest Department naming the white elephant as the national animal of Thailand.

In a grim year when far too many talented artists were snatched from us I was saddened to read that “George passed away peacefully at home over the Christmas period.” With the voice of an angel who some may have considered fallen.

Saturday, January the 9th heralds National Children’s Day in Thailand, and this year Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has created the slogan, “Knowledge and virtue together will move us into the future”.

Being tasked with writing about this auspicious day, I must admit that I was unaware that it actually existed. However, as somebody who has a teaching certificate and knows what it is to teach English in Thailand, I was keen to delve deeper into the matter.

Pattaya Personality this month focuses on one of the most well known names in the Pattaya hospitality business. Simon Peatfield is the man behind the popular Retox sports bar empire as well as other favourite Pattaya leisure institutions.

When people come and live in Thailand one of the things that is often neglected is medical insurance. In their home country they are so used to rolling up at their doctor or hospital and not having to pay anything out of their own pocket

Grande Caribbean Condo Resort Pattaya is a magnificent condo resort located in the Jomtien area, surrounded by exquisite restaurants and a high-class spa. The stunning beauty of it’s three-level pool is immersed in tropical greenery, with wooden ships, waterfalls, a lighthouse, jacuzzi and water slides.

In April the Thai Government announced the date of the cremation of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which will take place on the 26th of October 2017 and we were all alerted to the fact that the actual funeral will be over a five day period.

When people come and live in Thailand one of the things that is often neglected is medical insurance. In their home country they are so used to rolling up at their doctor or hospital and not having to pay anything out of their own pocket

When people come and live in Thailand one of the things that is often neglected is medical insurance. In their home country they are so used to rolling up at their doctor or hospital and not having to pay anything out of their own pocket

For many years I have been an advocate of using a locally based offshore adviser who has roots here, and has been living here for at least a decade, owns property here, has a Thai wife or partner and who has committed his future to living here.

The Thai Tourism Minister, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, plans another rebranding exercise for Pattaya and four other destinations, with the aim of making it widely known that Pattaya is a family friendly quality beach resort as opposed to one known for its nightlife.

Thailand's economic growth rate is likely to be less than one per cent for 2014, while the 2015 target of four percent looks increasingly difficult to attain, due to a weak global economy according to Kasikorn Research Center.
The think tank's managing director, Charl Kengchon, said, "What we are most concerned about is next year's growth figure since 4% is challenging and it is still uncertain whether we can achieve that growth rate."

When buying a property in Thailand, one of the stipulations is that you will need to bring the money in from overseas. There are plenty of ways to do this but getting the best rate is key. Since you will bring in a large mount of money for the purchase of a property, every percentage point of exchange rate change will cost or save you a good deal of money

Due to an improving economic recovery that will undoubtedly spur spending, Thailand's household debt is expected to rise next year and possibly for the next few years. Credit card use will be one of the factors behind the expected increase according Kasikorn Research Center (KResearch).

With the motto “Safety Speed and Certainty” GrabTaxi plans to organize the taxi service in Pattaya for the better of both passengers and drivers. Pattaya Trader Magazine was there to cover the Beta Launch of the mobile app, which was held at the Royal Marina Pattaya on September 17

Dealing in oil and energy markets may seem like an unusual investment to make, but oil is a commodity that tends to have fairly volatile prices and, as compared with precious metals, has a much more direct-use feature about it. It is a necessity for all car owners, airlines, and for a large part of the industrialised world. Unlike gold or silver, for example, that are bought to hold or to be admired for their ornamental qualities, oil is most commonly bought, in the end, to be burned!

Hi Pattaya Trader – Thank you for an always very interesting read. Is there any way you could publish this – I would dearly like to help the Mabprachan Animal shelter – I know they are not the only ones looking after stay and abandoned animals, but they have my undying gratitude for the way they helped me
Yours very sincerely, Rick Walton Soi 11 Thappraya Road Jomtien 0892 465 210

CCTV is an increasingly popular security feature, both inside and outside our homes. Externally it can be an effective visual deterrent for opportunist thieves on the lookout for empty homes and a useful way of checking that all is well at home.

Modern condominium developments have excellent building security, normally with a manned foyer and twenty four hour security guards. Entrances to units is often keyless by using a fob type smart card and communal areas are constantly monitored by CCTV.

Thailand is one of the top countries in the world where expats go to find an easier, more fulfilling life. One of these reasons is the tropical climate, which enables constant outdoor relaxation that’s simply not possible in many other parts of the world.

Bathroom designers tell us that 2017 is going to be marked by the return to the organic and all-natural. Bathroom style”s direction will be: super clean colours, seamless lines and useful, simple arrangement of space with the dash of natural coziness and elegance.

This is the cheery shade of green you'll see in home decor, fashion and commercial design in 2017. Named the 2017 Pantone Colour of the year "Greenery" is meant to represent refreshment and revitalization.

As we reach the end of the year it is time to review some of the key points that we looked at throughout 2017. Those who have read this regular feature will recall that we have covered a variety of topics aimed at driving more new business your way. In this article we will recap on the main areas and (attempt to) reinforce the benefits of marketing in this way.

We are all aware that this low season many businesses have been complaining that trade is bad and every industry has been hit by a downturn of people on Pattaya’s sois. Real estate has been no different, and any agent or developer will inform you that times are tough.

A friend recently complained about the fees he had paid to his broker in the UK to manage his portfolio over the last year. He has a moderate fund of $60,000 and had paid just under $900 for the last 12 months.

Getting ahead in business nowadays very often means doing the things that your competitors aren't doing .When it comes to websites and digital marketing there are nearly always things you can do to help raise the profile of your business and generate more enquiries.

This came to mind watching young and middle-aged farangs in Walking St. I wondered how many of them had a regular savings habit and how many just squandered their earnings as they came ? Let me ask you how many retired people you know who have no regular savings and just get by on state pensions from their country of origin? If they had been forced to make pension contributions while working, then their golden years would not be impoverished ones.

If you’ve ever wanted to live directly on the beach look no further than this fabulous 3 level home located at a great Waterfront location in Na Jomtien. Boasting 6 magnificent bedrooms and bathrooms 2 living rooms and a stunning sea view swimming pool it is set in beautiful landscaped gardens and is available complete with luxury furniture, fixtures and fittings.